There will be plenty of business to take care of once Antonio Brown officially joins the New England Patriots.
Brown, who reportedly signed with the Patriots on Saturday, likely will join New England’s 53-man roster Monday. From there, the star wideout will be tasked with gaining familiarity with his new team’s offense and building chemistry with Tom Brady. He’ll also need to be assigned a jersey number.
The seven-time Pro Bowl selection has rocked No. 84 for his entire nine-year career. The number currently is tabbed to tight end Ben Watson, who also wore it for six seasons in his first stint with the Patriots. We’re not sure how open Watson is to giving No. 84 to Brown, but the decision apparently isn’t up to him anyway.
We can’t imagine any drama will arise over Brown being granted a jersey number. The 31-year-old is coming to New England with quite a bit of baggage, and he surely does not want to begin his Patriots tenure by making headlines for a silly dispute. That type of hubbub might fly in Oakland and Pittsburgh, but it certainly would not be tolerated by Bill Belichick and Co.
Brown will have to serve as a spectator Sunday night when the Patriots kick off their 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. He’ll be eligible to take the field in Week 2 when New England heads to Miami for a divisional clash against the Dolphins.
